Bill Text: NJ S4503 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires long-term care facilities to provide its employees with necessary supplies and equipment at no cost.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-06-22 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee [S4503 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-S4503-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator VIN GOPAL
District 11 (Monmouth)
SYNOPSIS
Requires long-term care facilities to provide its employees with necessary supplies and equipment at no cost.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning long-term care facilities, and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Employer Responsibility for Essential Supplies Act."
2. a. A long-term care facility operating in this State shall provide its employees all equipment and supplies necessary for the employee to perform the essential functions required of the employee. The long-term care facility shall provide such equipment and supplies at no cost to the employee. Face masks and gloves shall be considered necessary equipment for an employee of a long-term care facility.
A facility shall maintain sufficient quantity and quality of such equipment and supplies to ensure sanitary conditions, effective infection prevention and control, resident dignity, adequate nutrition, and safe working conditions for its employees. Equipment and supplies provided pursuant to this act shall be maintained in a usable, sanitary, and functional condition and shall not be expired, diluted, defective, or otherwise inadequate for its intended purposes.
b. The Department of Health shall establish a process for confirming compliance with the provisions of this act. At minimum, the department shall confirm compliance monthly. A long-term care facility that does not comply with the provisions of this act shall be fined $3,000 per day for a violation, and the Commissioner of Health may take any adverse licensure action the commissioner deems appropriate. A penalty imposed pursuant to this section shall be collected by the commissioner in a summary proceeding before a court of competent jurisdiction pursuant to the provisions of the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.).
c. As used in this act:
"Equipment and supplies" means the materials necessary to maintain safe operations, effective infection prevention and sanitation protocols, and dietary and resident care services within a long-term care facility. The term shall include, but not be limited to: personal protective equipment; cleaning and disinfecting supplies; linens; towels; bedsheets; blankets; laundry supplies; resident hygiene products including toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, soap, incontinence products, and feminine hygiene products; and food, grocery, and dietary supplies necessary for meal preparation and nutritional services.
It shall not mean closed-toe shoes or scrubs unless the facility requires a specific type, color, or brand of shoe or scrub. If the facility requires scrubs to be a specific type, color, or brand, the facility shall provide at least two sets of the scrubs to the employee at no cost.
"Long-term care facility" means a nursing home, assisted living residence, comprehensive personal care home, residential health care facility, or dementia care home licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et al.).
3. The Commissioner of Health shall promulgate rules and regulations, including rules and regulations concerning equipment and supplies consistent with section 2 of this act, necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.
4. This act shall take effect 30 days from the date of enactment, except the Commissioner of Health may take any anticipatory action in advance as necessary for the implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill would require all long-term care facilities to provide all necessary equipment and protective supplies for its employees at no cost to the employee. The bill would also require the Department of Health (department) to establish a process to review and enforce the provisions of this bill, and would require that the department fine the facility for non-compliance. Additionally, the bill authorizes the Commissioner of Health to take any negative licensure action the commissioner deems appropriate for non-compliance.
As used in the bill, "long-term care facility" is defined as a nursing home, assisted living residence, comprehensive personal care home, residential health care facility, or dementia care home licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et al.), and "equipment and supplies" means the materials necessary to maintain safe operations, effective infection prevention and sanitation protocols, and dietary and resident care services within a long-term care facility. The term includes, but is not limited to: personal protective equipment; cleaning and disinfecting supplies; linens; towels; bedsheets; blankets; laundry supplies; resident hygiene products including toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, soap, incontinence products, and feminine hygiene products; and food, grocery, and dietary supplies necessary for meal preparation and nutritional services. The term does not include closed-toe shoes or scrubs unless the facility requires a specific type, color, or brand of shoe or scrub. If the facility requires scrubs to be a specific type, color, or brand, the facility must provide at least two sets of the scrubs to the employee at no cost.
